Are you an excessive worrier? Perhaps you unconsciously think that if you worry enough, you can prevent bad things from happening. But the fact is, worrying can affect the body in so many negative ways. It can lead to feelings of high anxiety and even cause you to be physically ill.

Chronic worrying can affect your daily life so much that it may cause headaches, upset stomachs, nausea, diarrhea, heart palpitations, fatigue, insomnia, low libido, breathing problems, muscle aches, and even high blood pressure (American Psychological Association).

“Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25,26)

In June 1941, this prayer was published in an obituary in the New York Herald Tribune, and from here became known by the first Alcoholics Anonymous group. The organization embraced it and spread it widely. It was initially known within the group as “The AA prayer”, but by the late 1940s, was known as “the serenity prayer.”

“O God and Heavenly Father, Grant to us the serenity of mind to accept that which cannot be changed; courage to change that which can be changed, and wisdom to know the one from the other, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”Stop worrying about things you can not control.

What I am trying to tell you, is to not be preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and how he works fuss over these things. But if you know both God and how He works. You will find all of your human concerns will be met. He knows what you need before you ask.

One positive learned from the pandemic is that we can accomplish what we thought we were never going to be able to do. Mainly, many adults were afraid of venturing out on cell phones and computers. I think security was the main fear. The most complicated feat tried on the cell phone or the computer can be done by a thirteen-year-old, some even younger.

We ask ourselves how is that possible? They are not afraid to make a mistake and we are. If they make a mistake, there are few negative consequences. After all, they do not have to repair it or pay for it. So, they are not afraid to experiment, thus learning afterward.

During the pandemic, we had no choice but to experiment. We were afraid to get sick and die if we socialized, afraid we were going to be evicted if we did not pay our bills on time, and yes afraid to not be able to seek medical attention. Thus, online skills were learned. Some have even gotten good at it.

When some churches began to close their doors because the members came to the conclusion that church folk died as well as unchurched, something had to be done about it. Lively-hoods would be lost and some would truly miss the fellowship. Something had to be done quickly. The churches that did not adapt folded. Some never re-opened.

This is why diversity is so important. We have to include all ages in our congregations. That includes crying babies, children, and youth services. The same media that was used to socialize before the pandemic was easy to adapt. As the joke goes, “The same folk.”

Four years later, Institutions have changed the way “church” is done. Many believers have become accustomed to churches without pews, sanctuaries without hymn books, and message outlines and songs projected onto large screens. You are encouraged to use your wireless device. This dispels the notion that you are doing otherwise.

Some have also recognized the need to change their methods of reaching out to non-Christians with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is nothing wrong with that per se. However, we were created to be social beings; including introverts.

Who do you reach out to when they are off the air. I believe that you can not be a Christian by yourself. This good feeling I want to share and make it known to others. Tell them about my prior struggles before I came to Him, just as I was, weary, wounded, and sad.

Not everything is changing, however. Dr. M. R. De Haan wrote in the first edition of Our Daily Bread in 1956: “If there is one thing Paul insisted upon, it is that works have nothing to do with obtaining or retaining our salvation. We are justified by faith, and faith alone” (Romans 4:5; 5:1).

Modes and methods of worship may change. But salvation is through faith in Jesus alone. That will never change.

In my research for writing this post, I ran the idea through my daughter, “Are African Americans the only ethnicity that have family reunions?” She said no, they just don’t call it a family reunion.” Oh! In my 77 years, or since I can remember, I have never heard any other group say they were planning or going to a family reunion.

I have gone to quite a few, some I have enjoyed and others I have not. My wife has sponsored several. Her being the one who has a close-knit family is the reason why she enjoys it so much. Me, not so much. We can’t seem to agree. However, in my research, I have learned a lot. I was ignorant of the purpose. I am going to do better.

According to a piece written by Renee Mccoy, African American Elders, Cultural Traditions, and the Family Reunion, family reunions are important rituals that have long contributed to the survival, health, and endurance of African American families, helping to maintain cultural heritage even in uncertain and turbulent times.

Although there is variation in how African Americans hold family reunions these days, some key elements remain constant. One constant is that these events have the potential to generate such power, in large part, from the participation of the elders—the keepers of the African American legacy.

Instead of seeing elders as problems and inconveniences, make an effort to talk to them about their “good old days. They might be talking about the time when someone was in need and the community prevailed by giving assistance where it was needed. It may not have been money, but about being a good listener. We don’t take the time to do that anymore. If you do not text or use Facebook, or some of the other vehicles you might be left alone. 

Hurricane Katrina, which hit Louisiana should have taught us that you need to at least communicate with those family members that you know and try to find out about others.  Many families lost all they had and had to be uprooted and live with strangers. There were some good examples of positive relationships and some were not so good. They were strangers to the family with no connection.

My takeaway from the research is that it can be a positive event. We should talk about health issues and how we can prevent some of the suffering and deaths from not taking self-care seriously. Taking the advice of widely known preventions that are out there. Such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other cancers. High blood pressure, mental illness, and forgiveness.

Keep in mind, that this is not a time to widen the gap by bringing up unsolved hurt unless you are going to talk about healing. Forgiveness is not about letting the offender off the hook; it is about freeing your mind and spirit from the overload. Many times, the offender has already forgotten.

A word that means delaying or postponing something that needs to be done on time. However, it is said to be a trap that can damage your performance, harm your reputation, and cause one’s self unnecessary anxiety. However, some people celebrate it.

In 1956, as a joke, Less Wass established the Procrastinator’s Club of America, in Philadelphia, PA. He registered it in 1966. He described its purpose as promoting “the philosophy of relaxation through putting off until later those things that needn’t be done today”.

Everyone puts things off sometimes, but procrastinators chronically avoid difficult tasks and may deliberately look for distractions. This is easily done when you are online and are searching for information and you come across something that you are more interested in than what you are supposed to be looking for.

Psychologists have found various reasons why people procrastinate, and there is no single reason. The key that unites most of these reasons is emotion and mood regulation. Studies show that some of the drivers of procrastination include low self-confidence, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Leonardo Da Vinci took 16 years to finish the Mona Lisa, one of his most famous paintings. Les Wass was the creator of the Iconic Mister Softee Jingle that drew children to the Mister Softee ice cream truck, among other well-known tunes. Go figure. He died at the age of 94.

It is often confused with laziness, but they are very different. It is an active process you choose to do something else instead of the task that you know you should be doing. In contrast, laziness suggests apathy, inactivity, and an unwillingness to act (Mind Tools).

As hypothesized and consistent with previous studies, procrastinating was highest in the youngest cohort (14-29 years). Men procrastinate the most. Current research shows that procrastination might have something to do with our desire to reduce our mental effort.

The Scripture “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Gal 6:9). If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, is sin for them (James 4:17). This later one especially relates to a task that God asks us to do.